Bowling Green, KY – The top-seeded Patriots capped off its historic conference run with another championship performance, defeating #3 seed Campbellsville 3-1 (25-17, 25-21, 22-25, 25-15) to claim the Mid-South Conference Tournament title Saturday afternoon inside Bowling Green Arena. With the win, the 10th-ranked Patriots improve to 34-0 on the season and secure their second MSC Tournament crown in the past three years.
Cumberlands put together another efficient outing, hitting .275 as a team with 56 kills while holding the Tigers to .196.
Sara Zampedri led the way with a match-high 18 kills, four aces, and seven digs to finish with 22 total points.
Alana Shiery and
Elaina Fischer each posted eight kills, while
Brynnley Bryant added 11 kills and 12 digs.
Savanah Jolly directed the offense with 48 assists, 13 digs, and an ace to earn her 12th double-double of the season.
Defensively,
Autiana Wilson notched a career-high 20 digs while
Davey Slaughter added 20 digs of her own in the back row.
The Patriots came out strong, hitting .516 in the opening frame behind Zampedri's five kills and Bryant's three as UC took a 17-10 lead and never looked back in a 25-17 win.
Cumberlands carried the momentum into the second set, erasing an early 6-3 deficit with a 10-2 run powered by back-to-back kills from Fischer. The Patriots held off a late Campbellsville rally to take it 25-21 and go up 2-0.
The Tigers responded in the third, hitting .296 to edge UC 25-22 and force a fourth set, but the Patriots quickly reasserted control. Jolly spread the offense effectively as Zampedri and Shiery combined for nine kills in the final frame. UC closed the match on a 6-1 run, capped by a Zampedri kill, to secure the 25-15 win and the MSC Championship.
With the victory, Cumberlands improves to 34-0 on the season and completes the MSC double, capturing both the regular season and tournament titles for the first time in program history. The Patriots now await their seeding for the NAIA National Championship Opening Round.
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